Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has upon called the countries of South Asia to collectively defeat the Scourge of terrorism. Inaugurating the Fifth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in New Delhi this evening he said terrorism is a cancer and it has taken huge toll on our societies.Dr. Singh said, South Asia cannot realise its true potential unless all the countries of the region resolve their differences peacefully. Others cannot solve problems for us. He also declared that India is committed to pursuing policies that benefit entire South Asia.Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar delivered the Welcome Address in her capacity as the President of the Conference.Nearly 130 delegates and observers from the eight SAARC countries are attending the four day Conference. Afghanistan, which became the eighth member of SAARC in 2007, will be formally joining the Conference for the first time.The Conference will deliberate mainly on two subjects-Strengthening Trust between Parliament and People and Sustainable Development in SAARC countries.